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STUDENT TALENT INJECTS EMOTION BACK INTO FUTURE VEHICLE DESIGN
The winning design was selected from a line-up of twenty-one international students by a distinguished judging panel, which included Kevin Rice, project manager, BMW 1 Series design. Charles’ concept looked at modern disenchantment with the car and asked the important question, has the industry lost its magic and if so, how can it get it back? Jon King, director of Corus Automotive and chair of the judging panel, said: 'The judges were very impressed with the overall high standard of concepts on display this year making the decision to select our three prize winners very difficult. However, Charles’ complete portfolio of excellence demonstrated a deep level of thinking, which was technically well researched and executed.' Kevin Rice added: 'The pressure to design reliable, competitive products that meet the ever increasing demands of legislation has led to a similarity of design in many new vehicle models. It was great to see an idea that challenges the industry to put excitement back into automotive design and Charles’ concept is a valuable reminder to us all not to forget that emotion plays an important role in the minds of consumers.' Entitled MOVE, the students participating in the 2004 Coventry University MA Automotive Design Show have taken the meaning of the word to its extremes with a range of concepts as diverse as the countries their creators come from. The multi-cultural backgrounds of the young designers have had a strong impact on many of their design choices including a luxury car inspired by a 19th century Japanese print of a wave and a vehicle representing the non-linear Chinese perception of speed. Chris Johnson, Coventry University commented: 'The projects do not focus on any one vision for the future of automotive design, but on a collection of possibilities. Some may come to pass within the next five years, while others may take longer to be realised. The student’s inspiration has been ‘take nothing for granted, just let ideas and concepts flow’'. Mr Johnson continues: 'The MA Design Show is a great way to end what has been a very successful year for Coventry, which saw our students first and second overall grand prize winners at the World Automotive Design Competition with the university itself awarded the prestigious title, Best Design School.' Second prize at the Design Show 2004 was awarded to Rajesh Kutty for his Formula One Amphibious Car which, in the opinion of the judges, was not only technically feasible but also well executed. Rajesh was looking for an exciting alternative to Formula One racing and decided upon the idea of an amphibious series. The third prize went to Gabriel Crosa for his ‘Gigaspeed’ project which explored how to design a fast and exciting electric powered vehicle to make consumers want to own one. Sponsorship of the Coventry University Automotive MA Design Show, now in its seventh consecutive year, forms part of Corus’ work in bridging the gap between advanced metal engineering and leading edge product design. Jon King concluded: 'By partnering an institute at the forefront of innovation in European automotive design, Corus can create a platform to better understand the needs and wants of young designers, which can impact the future material solutions being developed within the company.'
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